Photo by Eric Mclean on Unsplash

By Madison Fung

Tim Hortons is almost every Canadian’s go-to place for a cup of coffee. Unfortunately for Subhana Pira, she may not be visiting Tim Hortons again anytime soon.

Subhana Pira, a Markham resident, went to a Tim Hortons at 4 Lebovic Avenue for a meet-up with her six friends on March 10. She was shocked to find what she claimed was a cockroach in her iced coffee. By that time, the group had already consumed three out of the four drinks they had ordered.

“I saw a dark spot and I knew right away. It was very big and it had antennas,” Pira says.

In the aftermath of the incident, Pira was granted a refund for the drinks after she reported the issue to a staff member.

During the exchange, the staff member allegedly said, “Sometimes [a cockroach] comes in the iced coffee packets, it happens.”

Pira was left displeased, believing the employee completely disregarded the issue and failed to show any concern for the potential health risks it posed.

Although Pira was later offered a $50 gift card as compensation, she declined the offer, believing it was insufficient for what she had experienced. Instead, she is considering legal action and is seeking $50,000 in compensation.

The compensation, she says, “reflects the serious health issues and distress I’ve experienced.”

In response to the incident, Tim Hortons spokesperson Michael Oliveira said, “A recent Toronto Public Health (TPH) inspection, conducted after this complaint, did not raise any concerns.” He firmly stated that the incident was not the result of the restaurant’s coffee packaging process.

Work Cited

Lavoie, Joanna. “Markham woman says she found a cockroach in her Tim Hortons coffee and is considering legal action.” CTV News, 16 March 2025, https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/local/article/markham-woman-says-she-found-a-cockroach-in-her-tim-hortons-coffee-and-is-considering-legal-action/. Accessed 20 March 2025.